The Walls Are Rebuilt

The Walls Are Rebuilt

Q: How long did it take to rebuild the city walls?

• a. 52 months
• b. 52 weeks
• c. 52 days

After the Exile, the Jews returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and the walls. It took 20 years to finish rebuilding the Temple, so just how long did it take to rebuild the walls? A lot less time than that! Nehemiah did several things that made the building project go more quickly than the rebuilding of the Temple. Here’s how it happened.

Nehemiah served King Artaxerxes of Persia as the person who brought the wine to ensure no one poisoned the king. When Nehemiah heard that the walls were in bad shape and needed to be rebuilt, the king noticed that he was sad and learned it was because of the broken-down wall in Jerusalem. Nehemiah asked the king for permission to go and rebuild the wall.

Upon receiving a royal letter giving him permission to rebuild the wall, Nehemiah went to Jerusalem and organized the builders so that each had a specific place to work on the wall. Of course there were people who tried to stop the work by ridiculing, threatening, and insulting the men who were working on the wall. The workers became discouraged and fearful, but Nehemiah was a man of prayer, and that gave him the strength to push on.

Nehemiah encouraged his workers, and he also put men on guard duty. He confronted some of the troublemakers face-to-face. Nehemiah stood firm against those who tried to stop the work, and the walls were finished in only 52 days!

For You

Nehemiah was a successful worker and leader. He prayed over the task at hand, but he didn’t stop there. He planned his work, and he kept working even in the face of discouragement. Prayer is the starting place, but planning and pushing on are important too. You will accomplish little of importance without perseverance.

Answer: c

On October 2 the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.   Nehemiah 6:15-16

(The Whole Story: Nehemiah 1–6)